Before Fantastic Four, Vanessa Kirby Starred In This Underrated Netflix Movie

Kornél Mundruczó's 2020 drama "Pieces of a Woman" boasts one of the best performances of its year, and will leave you emotionally hollowed out. There is an extended, unbroken sequence early in the film where Martha Weiss (Vanessa Kirby) goes into labor at home. Their usual midwife isn't available, so they have to rely on a last-minute substitute named Eva (Molly Parker). The birth is swift, but it's not easy. The baby's heart rate begins to drop in the middle of one of Martha's contractions. Eva says to call 911, but the baby comes right away. The baby is fine at first, but then ... 

Look, the film is very upsetting, and looks directly at some of the greatest pains parents can face. After the death of her infant child, Martha and her husband Sean (Shia LeBoeuf) go through hell. She tries to accept the reality of the situation, while Sean buries his depression in cocaine and affairs. There is talk that Eva should be taken to court for her negligence. Through all the pain, Martha attempts to reach out to her estranged mother (Ellen Burstyn), who is growing old and requires care. "Pieces of a Woman" has every heart-rending, difficult emotion a film can contain. It's painful, so painful, to watch. It's rare that a drama can be this unblinking and effective. 

Thanks to Kirby's performance — her best to date — "Pieces of a Woman" is saved from being a mere piece of miserabilist cinema. She puts a very human face on Martha's suffering, saving her from being a clichéd martyr. "Pieces" is not just about hurt, it's about the shield Martha puts up. She can mourn, but she needs the world to move with her, and few seem capable of moving at her emotional pace.

Vanessa Kirby received an Oscar nomination for Pieces of a Woman

Not every critic could get behind the anguish of "Pieces of a Woman," with several feeling that its aggressive sadness was little more than hollow affect. Richard Brody, writing for the New Yorker, was particularly harsh, writing that the film's efforts toward grandiosity make it seem, to use his word, "risible." Candace Frederick, writing for Elle, felt that the subject matter warranted a lot more exploration of some very emotionally and bureaucratically complex issues, but that it skewed instead toward the personal, ultimately hurting the movie at large. The Martha character is often told that she's being too "cold" in the aftermath of her baby's death, and Frederick seems to agree, at least to an extent. Overall, "Pieces of a Woman" has a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 240 reviews. 

It should be noted that "Pieces of a Woman" is something that director Kornél Mundruczó and his wife, screenwriter Kata Wéber, actually went through. The couple experienced a miscarriage, which inspired Wéber to write the stage play "Pieces of a Woman," which was subsequently adapted into the Netflix film. "Pieces of a Woman" was the first English-language fulm that Mundruczó directed, having helmed seven features in his native Hungary. His next film, "At the Sea" is currently wrapping its post-production, and will star Amy Adams, Dan Levy, and Jenny Slate. 

Kirby, meanwhile, was praised across the board for her acting. In addition to earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, she was nominated by the British Academy, SAG, the Golden Globes, and the Critics Choice Awards. Kirby won Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival. It's the most widely praised performance of her screen career. Kirby can move from powerful dramas to fluffy actioners with aplomb, having appeared in some of the latter-era "Mission: Impossible" movies. She also brings a lot of emotional heft to the screen in the new Marvel picture, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

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